BUILDING BRANDS THROUGH DESIGN:

A SYSTEMATIC BIBLIOGRAPHIC
REVIEW
Authors: Gustavo Michelini and Daniel Capaldo Amaral

Affiliations: University of So , Escola de Engenharia de So Carlos

Abstract
There is a set of significant researchs about branding and a consensus that design product is an important tool to
create and maintain it. Some works are related on it, but there is no a synthesis about what kind of practices can
help this process. How does brands could be created through design? What are the most important decisions?
Who are the actors on this process? The objective of this paper was to collect all practices cited on journals and
summarized them inside a conceptual model to support designers into the comprehension of this topic. The paper
concludes with a framework about how designers can contribute to the brand creation and offers some
implications for design theory and directions for future research.

Keywords: Industrial design, Design management, Design process, Branding

1 INTRODUCTION
The role of brands in the business world has changed during the human history. The brand concept
originated from the idea of ownership, when early man stamped its animals as a mean of distinguishing
them. Nowadays, the role of brand in society is more complex. In the end of 19th centuries the
trademarks, and the concern of differentiate the product through packaging, become an instrument to
provide authenticity and reliability to the products. The industrial revolution, with its improvements in
manufacturing and communications, opened up the Western world and allowed the mass-marketing of
consumer products which requires a new and more globally level of competition and identity from
brands (Blackett, 2004).
Currently, the brand has an expanded mean. As competition creates infinite choices, companies look
for ways to connect emotionally with customers, become irreplaceable, and create lifelong
relationships. A strong brand stands out in a densely crowded marketplace. People fall in love with
brands, trust them, and believe in their superiority. How a brand is perceived affect its success,
regardless of whether its a startup, a non-profit, or a product (Wheeler, 2009). The loyalty become
important to create a brand religion that enables simplistic consumers buy decision. Brands thus
reflect the complete experience that customers have with products. Brands also play an important role
in determining the effectiveness of marketing. Finally, brands are an asset in the financial sense (Keller
and Lehmann, 2006). Branded industrial products generate more confidence in the purchase decision,
enhance the corporate reputation, offer more scope for competitive advantage, and can raise the barriers
to competitive entry (Michell, King and Reast, 2001).
Branding is the set of activities performed by managers to lead with the companys brands. It is
responsible to provide actions capable to differentiate a product through better brand positioning, that
will influence the market response. One of the main asserted benefits of branding is its ability to build
purchase confidence and improve customer loyalty (Aaker, 1991). Branding involves the process of
endowing products and services with the advantages that accrue to building a strong brand (Keller,
2014).
There are several practices to build and to manage a brand. One of them is through the design process.
According to core strategic marketing principles, product design is inherently a key tactical component
of which a brands strategy is comprised (Townsend et al., 2013). The translation of brand values into
the design of a product requires an understanding of what designers in a team are doing when they
express brand value through product design (Karjalainen and Snelders, 2010).
Many authors has treated this theme along years, but there is not a list of best practices or a theory model
that can help designers, during the new product development, to enhance the creation of the brand. This
paper contains a systematic bibliographic review (SBR) in order to answer some questions: How the
designer activity can support the brand creation or changing? What are the most important decisions?
Who are the actors on this process? The objective of this paper was to collect all practices cited on
journals and summarized them inside a conceptual model to support designers into the comprehension
of this topic. The paper concludes with a framework about how designers can contribute to the brand
creation and offers some implications for design theory and directions for future research.

2 METHOD
A Systematic Bibliographic Review (SBR) is a special type of review, conducted in a rigorous and
systematic way, and it can contribute with a traceable base of knowledge, facilitating the theory
development, especially in those fields with previous research effort. There are several SBR procedures
and this paper followed Conforto, Amaral and Silva (2011). They summarized SBR recommendations
from medicine and informatics authors in a procedure, and tested it in product development research.
The procedure contains three stages inspired in previous papers and entitled: Entrance, Processing and
Output of the bibliographical material.

2.1 Stage 1 - Entrance

The systematic bibliographic must be designed to answer specific questions (Conforto, Amaral and da
Silva, 2011). In this paper the central problem is: What are the best prectices that a design team can
help brand managers to create a brand?.
Conforto, Amaral and da Silva (2011) suggest identifying some primary bibliographical sources to plan
the SBR. The primary sources are articles, journals and databases whose researchers are sure they
contain relevant papers, preferential the most relevant ones or classical. This material is used then to
define search strategies, keywords and the overall scope of the SBR. This seeds are important because
will generate the strings that will be applied and will influence the advanced search (Conforto, Amaral
and da Silva, 2011).
The authors Bloch, Townsend and Aaker, the journals Design Studies, IJPIM, Journal of Business
Research and specific search, inside the Web of Science, were used as primary sources for this research.
To create the string it was necessary to know the keywords that better recognize papers contributing for
the SBR objectives (Conforto, Amaral and da Silva, 2011). In this case, we were looking for papers that
explain, bring cases or identify design practices to support branding. We tested the words and found two
distinct set of them as presented at Table 1: a set that allow to identify papers about branding and other
who identify papers about design or product development. Combining the two groups with the logical
operator AND, we result at the string that brings better results during the tests: ("brand strategy" OR
"brand relationship" OR "brand - consumer relationship" OR "branding") AND ("new product
development" OR "product development" OR "design management").
Table 1 keywords
Objective Keywords that
Identify paper about branding "brand strategy", "brand relationship", "brand - consumer
relationship", "branding"
Identify paper about product "new product development", "product development", "design
development and design management"
A SBR planning contains a set of definitions, criterion, which are used to filter and classify the search
results (Conforto, Amaral and da Silva, 2011). The criterions used were: a) the papers must describe
product development practices or cases; b) the study must provide unless one recommendation about
design methods related with brand issues. These criterions were applied in an iterative way as
recommended by Conforto, Amaral and da Silva (2011) using a set of disciplined filtering steps. It was
used three filters:
1. Readout the title, the summary and keywords.
2. Readout the introduction and conclusion
3. Complete reading
The set of these definitions results at the SBR protocol, which is the procedure to be followed during
the processing stage. Some practical artefacts, as tables to register the search results and a
bibliographical manager software (Mendeley), it was developed too. At the end, the researchers were
ready to start the next stage.

2.2 Stage 2 - Processing

The search effort identified 64 papers in the Web of Science database. From the 64 papers found through
the string, 32 papers passed the first filter, identification by title, summary and keyword. From this set,
13 papers rested after the second filter application and just 4 papers from the third filter. This occurred
because few those papers leading with the interface between design and branding, that is, paid attention
to the question of how to build branding from the design management perspective.
These four paper were integrally read. The phrases contained in the articles (wrote by the authors or
cited by them from others paper that are not in the list) were judge and classified by three different
aspects: recommendation (when the phrase gives a sense of what to do), facts (phrases that is agreed
by all researches and involved people) and challenges (passages that manager need to strategically
choice one way).
Each paper was read and the phrases that were selected into one of this category were tagged using
different colours to identify each one. At the end of this analysis, the researchers performed an analysis
of the references of these four papers in order to get further knowledge about this theme. This constitute
the cross-search. All these reference papers needed to pass through the same criterions and filters used
at the first search. Thus, were collected seven (7) additional papers. During the reading process the
authors just identified two categories of papers, a group purely theoretical and other composed by more
analytical and applied studies (cases). The table 2 summarize the results founded, including the number
of recommendations, facts and challenges identified in each group.
 Table 2 - Identified papers by category and frequency of practices
Category Quantity of Quantity
Quantity
by central Papers practices or of
of facts
objectives recommendations challenges
Bloch (1995); Townsend et al. (2013);
Theoretical Beverland, Napoli and Farrelly (2010);
94 159 26
papers Kumar, Townsend and Vorhies (2014);
Michell, King and Reast (2001).
Karjalainen and Snelders (2010);
Analysis Kristensen, Gabrielsen and Zaichkowsky
one or (2012); Stompff (2003); Kreuzbauer and 75 127 34
more cases Malter (2005); Townsend, Cavusgil and
Baba (2009); Aaker and Shansby (1982).

2.3 Stage 3 Outputs

The recommendations were collected and filtered to translate into best practices actions that designers
could perform to support the brand building process. Some terms had highlight: Brand Values,
Innovation, Quality, Competitors, Consumers, Price, Competitive Advantage, Product Attributes, Brand
recognition and Consistency. This highlight is based on the importance given by the author and the
constancy presence into the recommendation. All terms were analysed in order to generate a theory
model of how it can mix and to provide a framework to designers when practicing branding.

3 BRANDING AS POSITIONING AND DESIGN

The findings research are very explicit. When the subject is brands and products, there are two
important aspects: positioning and design process. Brands are recognized as valuable strategic assets
within a firm, it is important to consider a brands positioning and its associated meaning when
developing new products (Beverland, Napoli and Farrelly, 2010).
The new product development efforts need to be strategically aligned with the desired brand positioning.
The positioning decision is often the crucial strategic decision for a company or brand because its can
be central to customers perception and choice decisions (Aaker and Shansby, 1982).
Wheeler (2009) highlights the emotional relationships between brands and society. Thus, there is a
consensus that brand is not just a name, logo or mark, but a promises, an authenticity and a guarantee of
the standard quality that the products of a brand can offer to consumers. These characteristics influence
on consumers thinking. Consumers can turn loyalty when agree with the brand values and theirs needs
and desires are achieve. Interbrand (2007) bring new stakeholders to this definition: a brand is a
mixture of attributes tangible and intangible, symbolized in a trademark, which, if managed properly,
creates value and influence. []. A brand is intended to ensure relationships that create and secure
future earnings by growing customer preference and loyalty. Brands simplify decision-making,
represent an assurance of quality, and offer a relevant, different, and credible choice among competing
offerings.

3.1 The role of positioning

Ries and Trout are considered the father of the concept involving positioning when published the book
Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind in 1981. The definition of positioning on this book is:
Positioning starts with a product. A piece of merchandise, a service, an institution, or even a person.
But positioning is not what you do to a product. Positioning is what you do to the mind of the prospect.
Another understanding of this concept is given by Interbrand (2007): the term Positioning involves
the careful manipulation of every element of the marketing mix. Positioning defines to whom the brand
is trying to appeal, what the basis of that appeal is going to be, and why key targets should believe the
message. Positioning is, in a couple of words, to establish what are the core idea and values of the
brand through the creation of associations to consumers. It is important to give consideration to a brands
positioning and its associated meaning when developing new products (Beverland, Napoli and Farrelly,
2010).
The framing of the choice situation, the quality of the object at hand and its competitors, and the prestige
of the competitors name all may need to be carefully looked at, to gain some competitive advantage.
(Kristensen, Gabrielsen and Zaichkowsky, 2012). The organizations current positions and past history
form the basis of the ways routines, practices, and means of learning are combined and coordinated to
implement product decisions that support brand objectives (Townsend, Cavusgil and Baba, 2009).

3.2 The role of design

Product designers are often very skilled in determining relevant design attribute-values and transferring
them to other objects (Kreuzbauer and Malter, 2005). These product design features clearly support
strategic intent and define the brand relative to competitors (Townsend et al., 2013). Product design and
branding must be entirely integrated. Brands moderate the relationship between design dimensions and
consumer opinions (Townsend et al, 2013).
An important question when managers are studying the design philosophy of their company is: How
can the design of products communicate brand values? Understanding the concerns of clients can
provide insights into their preferences for specific brand values, resulting in a product design that
communicates these values. (Stompff, 2003). Well-defined and observed core values of the brand also
will act as a legitimizer for new products (Michell, King and Reast, 2001). Design features create
associations that connect the product with specific brand values, and, at the same time, the brand values
and their historical representations strongly affect the interpretation of the design features (Karjalainen
and Snelders, 2010). Social and emotional values play a critical role in creating affective bonds between
the consumer and product and brands (Kumar, Townsend and Vorhies, 2014).

4 IMPROVING BRANDING PROCESS THROUGH DESIGN

The content analysis of the recommendations, facts and challenges, collected into the papers, indicates
a set of categories of practices: Brand Values, Innovation, Quality, Competitors, Consumers, Price,
Competitive Advantage, Product Attributes, Brand recognition and Consistency. The analysis of them
demonstrated that authors associate them with a set of roles (responsibilities and actors) inside the design
and branding recognition processes. All practices could be grouped by decision categories too, as
described on Table 3, that summarize the systematization performed.
The analysis of the table 3 allow us to conclude that the branding practices related to the design
management has been considered in a similar way of consumer response design models, performed by
Bloch (1995) and actualized by Crilly, Moultrie and Clarkson (2004). In truth, the parameters involved
with the brand consolidation seems to be a subset of the attributes and process involved in a consumer
response design theory, besides the previous authors form these theories did not spent significant
attention for branding aspects it that models. The conclusion was that should be possible lead with the
branding phenomena in design in a similar way, as a process composed by roles, practices and decisions.
The next section we explore each one of these aspects.

4.1 Process and roles

Considering branding as a process, it needs some actors, the professionals that are involved through
theses actives. Crilly, Moultrie and Clarkson (2004) created a model for the design team to participate
of the communication process. The authors suggest that the design team creates a message that is
encoded in a product and is perceived by the consumer within an environment. They revealed this
concept through a framework that describes the attributes, roles and processes involved with consumers
response to the product design. They propose two actors, consumers and design team, as central for this
process, whose were frequently cited in the practices about branding collected. Nevertheless the analysis
identified a difference, the papers about branding cited a new role: the brand manager. Brand managers
are those professionals responsible for the positioning decisions. They must to create associations that
will influence the way customers think. These associations are the base to build the brand values. Thus,
designers must to use design features to expose this values. The brand values need to be translated
through product design. When managers understand these values, the design team must to create the
features that will allow customers perceive a visual brand recognition.
Brand managers need to evaluate the quality perceived by customer and its price to provide some
insights to designers of what technical features a product must to have.
The decisions of the brand managers influence designers, those professionals responsible to translate
the brand values, the level of innovation and product quality intended into the characteristics,
functionalities and design of a product. Who are the consumers, what are the brand values, the design
features, the product innovation and the quality/price pair provide some insights and constraints about
product attributes that designers must to create during product designing. These attributes need to be
compared against the competitor in order to allow a competitive advantage. This will enable consumers
to turn loyalties when all their needs and desires are satisfied.
The customers appears at the end of this process because they will recognize and perceive all design
features, the innovation efforts and the economic value (trade-off between the willingness to pay and
the quality perceived) of the product created by designers. It depends on theirs previous experience that
influence their repertory and the capacity to recognize some attribute as an innovator or not and if is
belonging a particular brand or it is general at the market place. The costumers repertory has an
important role to identify if the brand values are present into the product design.

4.2 Practices and decisions

All recommendations contained at the SBR were examined and the decisions identified from the
recommendations are listed at Table 3, in a total 11 decisions. Considering the role of the authors and
the process, all can be synthetized at Figure 1. Therefore, from the current theory existent, the best
practice could be a brand manager capable of create brand values, establish the level of innovation,
identify the consumers and competitors, and establish the quality/price pair required in products. This
will help the design team to take decisions about design features, innovation efforts and the economic
value of the product comparing against competitors. These activies allows consumers over time to turn
loyalty, to provide a product feedback and to recognize the brand.
Table 3 Identified Decisions
Decision Sinonimous (depending on Role Frequency of
context) Practice
Brand
To create brand values Value associated 14
Manager
radical innovation, incremental
To establish the level of Brand
innovation, market-driven, 18
innovation Manager
driving market
user needs, customers, buyers,
To identify the Brand
market segmentation, target 33
consumers Manager
market
To establish the
Brand
quality/price pair quality, price, willingness to pay 10
Manager
necessary
Brand
To care about
- Manager / 9
competitors
Design team
design elements, product features,
To create the design product design, design attributes,
Design team 37
features design form, design dimension,
product form
using innovation, radical changes,
product changes, innovation
To apply the innovation
process, new possibilities, such Design team 12
efforts
innovations, new to the world,
deliver innovation
To establish the
- Design team 2
economic value
brand loyalty, repurchase
To turn loyalty Consumers 6
intention
 Perceived quality, customer
To provide a product feedback, design perceived,
Consumers 13
feedback consumer perception, perceived
utility
brand identity, consumer
To do brand recognition Consumers 10
associate, visual identity

Figure 1 Decisions, Process and Roles

5 FINAL CONSIDERATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS

There is a consensus over the decisions, actors and process that are described and synthetized at the
Figure 1. The activities are well-established into specific professionals. Brand managers need to care
about the brand positioning and provide a vision for brand construction, guiding the designers with the
brand values. Using them the designers must to care and to translate into the product design through
design attributes, innovation efforts and the economic value. This paper contributed identifying a set of
categories of decision (brand values, level of innovation, prices, product quality, consumers target and
competitors) that provides insights and constraints to all them.
The research conducted about the subject demonstrated a consensus about the central role of consumers
in design recognition and building. The perception of branding is formed in the consumers mind and
depends of the authentic feelings and experiences of products. Consumers will evaluate these features
and, if the translation was adequately, will provide a product feedback, to recognize the brand and turn
loyalties. Then, it is fundamental importance that designers understand this aspect and look for
experiences that reinforce the feeling regards the brand values. The framework provide at figure 1 can
support design teams to see this process in a broader way, and considering all aspects.
An important conclusion are the absences, which mean, what did not found at the analysed papers. There
is a tendency to the servitization. The technology of the internet and the need of less environmental
impact are generating an increasing wave of services associated with products, or leading the creation
of new business model involving Product Service Systems (PPS). We did not found specific practices
or cases describing about the role of services associated with products during the brand creation. There
is a tendency of this role be important in the future, because the user experience could be more influenced
by services than the form and function tangibles of the physical product, which was prioritized in the
researches. Therefore, it could be an important to be treat to enhance the theory and to help designers to
deal with this challenge.
This bibliographical review indicates future research opportunities. Try to expand the meaning of the
attributes identified, in order to explicit the drivers of each decisions. Another way is to test this
framework in field research to evaluate if this applies this theoretical model is sufficient to understand
branding issues or provide better decision for the actors involved at the process. Surveys about it, using
this framework, could be an important contribution, in order to understand the differences between
industries and the moderator factors involved in this process.

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